Mr. Nathan Brookwood

GLG News^SM Analyses by Nathan Brookwood(?)

Even 2-D Users Will Miss Nvidia's Integrated 3-D Graphics on Core i3/i5 Systems

October 8, 2009

Analysis of:Nvidia Escalates Feud With Intel | online.wsj.com

Nvidia's chipsets outperform Intel's when it comes to integrated 3-D graphics, but Intel's move to incorporate graphics into its Core i3/i5 CPUs leaves no room for Nvidia's integrated solution. Too bad! Windows 7's DirectCompute feature speeds up media operations on systems with AMD or Nvidia discrete or integrated GPUs, but won't work with Intel's integrated graphics. Even users who don't care about 3-D may notice this media deceleration on Core i3/i5 systems that lack discrete GPUs.

Fermi versus AMD Radeon: Who Wins, Who Loses in Supercomputing Applications?

October 4, 2009

Analysis of:Supercomputer to use new Nvidia 'Fermi' chip | news.cnet.com

While AMD and Nvidia battle for supremacy in the GPU computing arena, there's one obvious loser, Intel. AMD's 5870 appeared on schedule. Nvidia's Fermi is late, but its GTX 280 series still is competitive. Intel's Larrabee remains a no-show. End users who buy their systems by the teraflop have discovered and validated an alternative approach that requires fewer x86 CPUs, less power, and less space. GPU computing is here to stay, and the market will punish those who lack a competitive offering.

Intel’s 45nm Penryn: Cool Process but Ho-Hum Processor

November 13, 2007

Analysis of:Intel Ships Power-Efficient Penryn CPUs | www.pcworld.com

Intel's turned its PR apparatus on high today, trumpeting the launch of its first 45nm processors, code-named Penryn. The company can certainly claim credit as the first CPU vendor to ship 45nm products, but the products it launched now are merely warmed over versions of the mature 65nm designs it introduced last year. The good news is that these chips work in the same desktop, notebook and server platforms as the models they replace. This simplifies the qualification process for OEM system suppliers and end users. The bad news is that the new process improves the new chips' performance by ten to fifteen percent on average -- hardly anything to get excited about. We don't expect these new chips to have much impact on the competitive positions of Intel and AMD, but the new chips are roughly 30 percent smaller than the ones they replace, and thus will indirectly increase Intel's production capacity by about a third. This explains why Intel recently trimmed its CAPEX forecast.

Will vPro Turn Intel Around?

April 27, 2006

Analysis of:Intel Plans Enterprise Platform Brand | www.reed-electronics.com

Intel recently launched vPro™, its new brand for business-oriented desktop PCs. The company hopes that vPro will do for its desktop PC business what the Centrino brand did for notebooks in 2003. Centrino introduced the mobile lifestyle for notebook computer users, something users could not do prior to its introduction. Viiv and Vpro just allow users to do what they already are doing, merely with less hassle than before. This seems to me like a fairly weak proposition.

The Sun Also Rises

April 27, 2006

Analysis of:Sun Set on McNealy | www.forbes.com

Ever since the dot.com bubble burst, stories about Sun Microsystems usually have contained the word "troubled" somewhere in their text. Wall Street analysts have been open in their contempt for CEO Scott McNealy's strategy of prioritizing R&D headcount above operating profit, but have failed to notice that all that R&D spending has finally resulted in a revamped product line and a more competitive Sun. Although the company turned in another loss for the March quarter, it reported significant growth (YoY) in its core server businesses. Rumors of Sun's death have been greatly exaggerated, but nobody was going to pay attention as long as McNealy remained at the helm. By stepping aside, Scott allows investors to refocus on the company's fundamentals, which I believe are in much better shape than most outsiders realize.

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